In less than three weeks, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® will open the doors to its Cokata Wiconi (“Center of Life”) teen center for a very special annual event: the Holiday Artists’ Market. For the fifth consecutive year, the 27-year-old youth project will host community artisans, craftspeople, chefs and bakers as they make their wares available to the public in festive holiday environment.
The 5th annual Holiday Artists’ Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Cokata Wiconi gymnasium. Prospective vendors are encouraged to contact CRYP as soon as possible to reserve their tables.
“For $15, you’ll have your own table in the marketplace,” said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP’s youth programs director. “We are limiting food vendors to three, so if you would like to sell your food items or baked goods, please contact us right away at (606) 964-8200.”
Table fees will benefit CRYP’s youth programming and services. Vendors keep all their own proceeds.
For members of the community, the Holiday Artists Market will provide a festive opportunity to purchase holiday treats and gifts, and to view the first-ever Festival of Trees exhibition. The Keya Cafe & Coffeeshop will be open to the public throughout market day, with special menu items and baked goods, and CRYP staff will be taking orders for holiday goodie boxes.
Best of all, the youth project is expecting a very special guest. Santa Claus himself will spend the afternoon at the Holiday Artists’ Market, meeting children and posing for photographs. A Santa photo package is available for just $5; families may pick up their photos at Cokata Wiconi the following week.
“We named our teen center Cokata Wiconi because we’ve always intended for it to be a true center of life, a gathering place, for the Cheyenne River community,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “We look forward to our Holiday Artists’ Market every year, because it’s the perfect opportunity for our friends, family, and neighbors to come together, share their homemade goods, and earn a little extra income in the process. It’s a great way to celebrate the holiday season.”
It’s also a brief respite for CRYP staff and volunteers, who work around the clock for weeks as they prepare to bring Christmas to 1,500 children in the annual CRYP Christmas Toy Drive. For more information about this year’s toy drive efforts and how you can help, visit www.lakotayouth.org.
To stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook (/LakotaYouth), Twitter (@LakotaYouth) and Instagram (@waniyetuwowapi).
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.